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DC’s Rebirth Titles & More Buy One, Get One Free Through Cyber Monday

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Kicking off the holiday shopping season on Thanksgiving weekend, comic book fans can escape the long shopping lines and save from the comfort of their own home! For the first time ever, comic buffs can save on all of the one-shots and first issues from the record shattering REBIRTH, including DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1, HARLEY QUINN: REBIRTH #1, BATMAN: REBIRTH #1, WONDER WOMAN: REBIRTH #1 and many more.

In addition, fans can save on digital copies of single issues, collected editions and original graphic novels from DC and VERTIGO like THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON and The New York Times Best-Selling WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE, beginning on Thursday, November 24 through Monday, November 28. To receive the promotion, fans can enter the promo code “DC16” at checkout on ComiXology.com and ReadDCEntertainment.com. There is no limit on the number of times the promo code can be used.

 

See rules and restrictions below:
The offer cannot be applied to pre-orders or bundles and excludes titles released after November 21, 2016, as well as REBIRTH titles that are not one-shots or #1 issues (i.e., WONDER WOMAN: REBIRTH #2) and special edition novels or director’s cuts. The promotion will start at 8 PM EST on Thursday, November 24, and run until Monday, November 28, 2016 at 11:59pm EST.


‘Hulk’ #1 Smashes This December – Your First Look!

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hulk_1_coverJennifer Walters has survived the Civil War, but not unscathed. On December 28th, she rises from the rubble, re-entering the world as a different kind of hero in the brand new HULK #1! Today Marvel is pleased to present your first look inside the debut issue from Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer) and rising star artist Nico Leon (Spider-Man)! Be there as they chronicle the ongoing adventures of Jennifer Walters – and bring you a Hulk book for Marvel NOW! the likes of which you’ve never seen before!

Following the traumatic events of Civil War II, Jen is determined to move forward, to go on with her life. But there is something bubbling under the surface. A quiet rage. The physical and mental wounds are still fresh. The pain of the past and all she’s lost is always there – an undercurrent, a pulse, waiting to quicken and trigger her transformation into the one thing she doesn’t have control over…the HULK! Jennifer Walters’ greatest battle is about to begin. One that will pit her against the monster inside. Can she control the rage that consumed her cousin Bruce for so long? Or will she succumb to it? Find out when Tamaki and Leon bring you the can’t-miss HULK #1 – coming to comic shops and digital devices on December 28th!

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HULK #1 (OCT160788)
Written by MARIKO TAMAKI
Art by NICO LEON
Cover by JEFF DEKAL
Variant Cover by PIA GUERRA (OCT160791) and DALE KEOWN (OCT160789)
Action Figure Variant by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER (OCT160794)
Hip-Hop Variant by RAHZZAH (OCT160793)
Classic Variant by JUNE BRIGMAN (OCT160792)
Young Variant by SKOTTIE YOUNG (OCT160790)
ICX Variant Also Available (OCT160795)

FOC – 12/5/16, On-Sale – 12/28/16

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To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook. 

Help Launch ‘The Dwayne McDuffie Fund’ To Honor His Legacy

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Dwayne McDuffie passed away on February 21, 2011, the same day as my father.

I had always been a fan of his work, now in some bizarre connection, I’ll never forget his absence.

Unfortunately, the comic book industry doesn’t always do the best job preserving the memory and honoring the legacy of their biggest heroes.  If it took years for creators like Jack Kirby and Bill Finger to have their name attached to their creations, you might get a sense of the struggles that exist within the industry.

Dwayne McDuffie was one of those talents that come around only once in a generation.  He was ridiculously smart.  He had his master’s degree in physics.  He was a pioneer of diversity and strove to develop and write characters in mainstream comics and animation that portrayed a realistic, multi-cultural and accurate portrayal of the world.  His vision for the comics industry was realized with the launch of Milestone Media in 1993, which featured not only a diverse universe of characters, but an equally diverse talent pool.  Dwayne served as editor-in-chief and created or co-created many of the characters, which included Static, Hardware, The Shadow Cabinet, Icon and Xombi.

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In addition to creating Damage Control at Marvel, Dwayne wrote such characters as Batman, Fantastic Four, Deathlok, The Demon, She-Hulk, Spider-Man and even The Artist in Prince: Three Chains of Gold.  He also created one of the greatest pop culture discussion topics of all time with his Tommy Westphall Universe Theory (which connects a number of shows to St. Elsewhere which in it’s final episode was revealed to be entirely in the mind of autistic child Tommy Westphall).

But more than anything else, Dwayne McDuffie should not be forgotten, and thanks to his wife, Charlotte (Fullerton) McDuffie, it won’t be.

If you help.

Charlotte is currently raising funds via Go Fund Me to establish The Dwayne McDuffie Foundation, a non-profit organization to award academic scholarships for diverse students. In addition, the fund will also continue to keep Dwayne’s vision alive by managing and maintaining an archival website for research purposes, and applying on behalf of Dwayne’s fans for his  well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (among his credits are producing Ben 10 and Justice League animated series and writing such animated series and films as Static Shock!, Teen Titans, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,  All-Star Superman, Justice League: Doom, and various Ben 10 animated series).

With the holiday season approaching, there are plenty of charities deserving of your money, but maybe this year, instead of buying a few comics that you don’t really enjoy out of sheer habit, you donate a little bit of money to preserve the legacy of a creator who did so much, but who had so many more stories to tell.

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To support The Dwayne McDuffie Fund, click HERE.

 

Muggle Fatigue, Obama Offers Hope, Anne Rice Wants To Take Bite Out of TV & More

Win ‘Quarry: Season 1’ on Digital HD

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Quarry: Season 1, Cinemax’s latest “impressively flawless” (Washington Post) series, is now available for Digital Download, today, packed with dozens of brand new deleted scenes.

This “wildly entertaining” (TV Guide) series, loosely based on the novels of Max Allan Collins, is set in and around Memphis during the early 1970s.

When Marines Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green) and Arthur Solomon (Jamie Hector) return home from a second tour of duty in Vietnam, they find themselves greeted with hostility and rejection. Unable to land decent Jobs, Mac and Arthur are tempted by a lucrative offer from The Broker, leading to a turn of events that has dire consequences.

For fans who can’t get enough of this acclaimed series, a full season download of Quarry: Season 1 at select retailers also includes more than two dozen never-before-seen deleted scenes.

And we’re giving away a digital code to a Forces of Geek reader!

To enter, please send an email with the subject header “QUARRY” to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following:

What was the name of the first Quarry novel as it was originally published in 1976?

(U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).

Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.

Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on December 4th, 2016.

Top Five: Shows You Should Have Watched

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In this new era of television, it’s rare for a series to be forgotten.  Thanks to DVD, iTunes and streaming media, there’s a good chance that you can find most modern series if you look hard enough.

Here are five series that you might not have watched the first time around, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve your attention.

 

1.  The Wrong Mans (2013-2014)

“What would happen if something of that magnitude would happen (an American high stakes action movie)and it happened to just two ordinary guys.”

– James Corden (creator/co-star)

 

For those of you who are just now discovering James Corden through his popular late night talk show, The Late Late Show – and its carpool karaoke sketch – or experienced him for the first time in the film adaption of Into The Woods as The Baker, let me introduce you another James Corden.

James is a Tony award winning actor (One Man, Two Guvnors) as well as the talented writer/co-star of the highly popular U.K. series, Gavin & Stacey. His Hulu and BBC Two’s dark comedy The Wrong Mans, co-written by Corden, Tom Basden and co-starring Mathew Baynton, contemplates the notion of what would happen if two regular guys were thrown into an action film.

After witnessing a car crash and then passing out, County Council worker Sam Pinkett (Baynton) discovers a phone near the crash and keeps it, hoping to return to its rightful owner, who he assumes is the injured man from the crash. What happens next is that an unlikely hero, alongside office oddball Phil Bourne (Corban), finds himself unwittingly thrown into one outrageous incident after another.

Where Last Man On Earth (which I recommended in a previous column) has me exclaiming, “Well that surprised me, what will happen next?” The Wrong Mans is more, “How CAN they get out of this one?” Believably and comically, they do find a way out.

The first season of The Wrong Mans is a roller coaster ride of high volatility. Although the second season is good, the shorter season of episodes makes it difficult to build the mystery with the same high octane momentum as the previous season.

Still, the continued chemistry of its two leads and the comedy itself more than make up for any shortcomings within season two. My overwhelming excitement for James Corden’s success (For Doctor Who fans like myself, he will always be our little Craig!) is only sullied by the fact that we won’t see a season three – or more writing from him – in the foreseeable future.

 

2.   Jekyll (2007)

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“I think there’s a commonality between writing comedy and writing thriller-based, horror-based stuff. It’s about punchlines.”

– Steven Moffat (creator)

 

Before there was the U.K. phenomenon known as Sherlock, there was Jekyll – as in Mr Hyde.

Yes, Steven Moffat, co-creator of Sherlock and current showrunner (for one more season) of Doctor Who, the man who brought you the world of weeping angels, The Silence and unleashed the Cumberbatch on us all…first dipped his toe into similar territory with Jekyll. Since first shown to me by a friend several years ago, this series has held an high place on my go-to list of recommendations.

I have often remarked how shocked I was that this U.K. drama hadn’t yet been redone or rebooted…until now. Deadline.com reports that Jekyll will become a film, written by Moffat, and starring Captain America himself, Chris Evans, in the foreseeable future. This gives you even more of a reason to watch this series now.

Unlike Sherlock, this take on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is not just a modern retelling, but also a sequel of sorts. Jekyll: The Next Generation. What’s the real story? Is this some kind of genetic disorder? These are topped with an amazing performance by James Nesbitt (as our main character, Doctor Tom Jackman), and some Moffat favorites you may recognize from Doctor Who and his classic sitcom, Coupling (The U.K. version, its first and only one).

The twists and turns of each episode of Jekyll will have you gasping out loud. Surprising and engaging, it will have you on the edge of your seat. Don’t make the length of this recommendation persuade you; but, like many of my recommendations in my top five column, I don’t want to ruin the surprises that can only be described as an old time serial-type format without the cheap theatrics.

Make no mistake – there are plenty of theatrics, but none cheap. Unfortunately, Jekyll was only one season, and in the U.S. would be considered more of a mini-series; but it is very much worth your time. You will be wanting more, but it will still leave you completely satisfied.

 

3.  Green Wing (2004-2007)

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“It’s a bit of a hybrid, isn’t it? It’s a sketch-meets-comedy-drama-meets-soap. It’s kind of unique, it hasn’t got a forerunner, really.”

– Victoria Pile (creator)

 

Another U.K. Show…I know, but bear with me. Now a show I don’t have on this particular list (but would happily add to another list soon) is Showtime and BBC Two’s Episodes, which I mention because it happens to star two of the leads of Green Wing, Tamsin Greig (The Second Greatest Marigold Hotel), and Stephen Mangan (Houdini and Doyle), my initial draw to the show.

Mangan and Greig along with Doctor Who’s Michelle Gomez, are the major factors that I would consider my “gateway drugs” into enjoying this series. Green Wing’s two seasons of comedy tell the tale of a group of wacky, and sometimes not so wacky, doctors and administrators in the green wing of the fictional East Hampton Hospital. Often described in the U.S. as a “British Scrubs”, Green Wing feels more like Grey’s Anatomy if it were stuck inside a Monty Python sketch.

Greig (Dr. Caroline Todd) plays the new doctor in town acting as the audience’s eye – and “straight woman” – into the madcap (yes, I just used madcap – deal with it) world and characters of the show. Mangan (at his best, as Dr. Guy Secretan) plays a pompous doctor with big ideas (e.g. he has invented a game, “GuyBall”). Julian Rhind-Tutt (as Dr. ‘Mac’ Macartney) plays the good guy on staff. Gomez (as Sue White)…well, let’s just say she plays the liaison officer, almost like a head of H.R., who is the craziest of them all.

Anyone who may already know Gomez from her turn on Doctor Who, and therefore know her great talent for taking a character off solid ground and into the glorious heighten stratosphere, will not be disappointed. However, those just discovering her will be a fan of Sue White’s for life. I’m not usually a fan of broad comedy, but this has the mix of broad strokes, callbacks, word play, and sight gags (e.g. Gomez does everything from wearing very long arms to literally flying from the ceiling). And for those of us who were first introduced Olivia Colman in Broadchurch can get a kick out of comic turn as Harriet.

The comedy in Green Room is off the wall, surreal…and, often, flatout bizarre. It isn’t a surprise that the creator and writers hail from sketch (of Victoria Pile’s sketch show, Smack The Pony). But, there was a dramatic shift, from my perspective, during the season one finale (Episode 9), that switched this show for me from “just funny” to “highly recommendable”.

The shift felt so drastic that, if I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed the finale episode of the season one was in fact the first episode of season two. I understand I am in the minority in this, as many people feel season two is the weaker of the two seasons. Maybe it’s my sense of humor, or maybe it was because by the end of the season I had grown to love these characters and cheer on in all their foibles and successes.

Oh, and baby-faced John Oliver has a few lines in the pilot, so keep an eye out for that.

 

4.  The Riches (2007-2008)

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The Riches is The Sopranos meets The Beverly Hillbillies. It’s a show about outsiders, and through their perspective we experience America and see how we live in a whole new light.”

– Dmitry Lipkin (creator)

 

When The Riches first aired, the immediate draw for me was comedian, actor and literal (and figurative) marathon runner, Eddie Izzard. I stayed for the show. Most importantly, The Riches became the reason I finally knew Margo Martindale by name (Four years before her career-changing, Emmy-winning turn in Justified) instead of by the usual moniker for great character actors, “That woman who was in that thing.”

The Riches is a dark comedy, if not dramedy with a capital D. Wayne and Dahlia Malloy and their three kids are Irish Travelers, con-artists, married to the family they travel with in the same way we would look at the Italian mob: the only way out appears to be death.

When Dahlia (played by Minnie Driver) is released from jail after two years, only to find her family worse for wear and her teenage daughter about to be married off, Delilah and her husband Wayne (played by Izzard) decide enough is enough and run.

When fellow travelers run a couple off the road in the chase of them, the runaway family (The Malloys) stop to help the couple (the Riches), only to discovered the couple are, in fact, dead – gruesomely so. Fearful their fellow family members will return for them, the Malloys decide to lay low in the dead couple’s new home until the coast is clear.

What they don’t know is that the Riches bought their new home sight unseen after the husband, a lawyer, was hired by his CV alone; and, you guessed it, everyone assumes the Malloys are now the Riches.

The Malloys ran away to go legit, and becoming the Riches becomes a proposition too good to pass up – getting the American dream the best way they know how, by stealing it.
The dark humor of the series comes from the family balancing their lies with their true identities, all while dealing with serious issues, e.g. Delilah’s drug habit.

Not to mention the rich suburbanites of Edenfalls (Yes, that’s the name of the town) aren’t far from strife themselves: their neighbor and soon-to-be friend, Nina (Martindale), whose marriage to a gay man has left her lonely…to Wayne, a.k.a. Doug Rich’s new boss, Huge (played by Gregg Henry), whose money, prestige, and ego epitomizes the dark side of the American Dream.

The Riches is about the darkness of our shared human experience and that the old adage of “the grass is always greener” is right on the money, pun intended. Not to mention, The Riches was the first time I ever saw a transgender character on television dealt with in a non-mocking way.

An aspect of the show before Izzard was brought on board (Izzard identifies as transgender himself), the Malloys’ youngest son prefers to dress in what western society refers to as “feminine” clothes, and his family has no problem with it.

At its core, The Riches is a fish-out-of-water dark comedy about identity. Also, keep an eye out for a very “meta” moment when Izzard and Driver, both Brit’s playing Americans in the series, pretending to play two british characters, by using their real accents as covers.

 

5.  Happy Endings/Marry Me (2011-2013; 2014-2015)

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“I think the issue is the pace of it and the realism. I know we go to some weird places as a story, but there’s a kind of gritty realism to it in places, and some heart that I think would maybe be lost in multi-cam”

– Jonathan Groff (showrunner)

 

Much like Parks and Recreation, many would agree that Happy Endings didn’t really kick into gear until the second season; and, much like the first paintball episode of Community, things just started to gel at that point. Now, if you just had no idea what that first sentence just meant, this may be a big reason why Happy Endings wasn’t renewed for a fourth season, in what Vulture called, “[one of the] worst TV decisions of the 2012–13 television season.”

In fact, when the recent Vulture Festival in New York City featuring a reunion of the cast went on sale, it sold out within minutes. Much like many shows you hear are great, but have never seen before, this show has a rabid fandom. And why is that? Think of Happy Endings as a mash up of Friends and Gilmore Girls on double the coffee: snappy, fast, witty dialogue mixed with millisecond pop culture references on acid.

Happy Endings is the story of a tight-knit group of friends who, after the first scene of the pilot, are left to pick up the pieces after one of the friends jilts the other at the altar. You have the dizzy sweet one and ex-bride, Alex (Eliza Coupe); her uptight, Type A sister Jane (Eliza Coupe); Jane’s sharp, funny, sexy husband, Brad (Damon Wayans, Jr.); adorable, single gal-about-town, Penny (Casey Wilson); freeloading Max just looking for Mr. Right (Adam Pally); and the ex-groom and food truck extraordinaire, Dave (Zachary Knighton).

You’ll be happy you stayed and sad it ended. That’s why I tagged on the first season of Marry Me, an NBC show from Happy Endings creator David Caspe. Also starring Casey Wilson (who, by this time, had married Caspe and served as his best muse), Marry Me was meant to take you from engagement to marriage, but only lasted one season.

It co-stars the comedic chops of Ken Marino (The State), John Gemberling (Broad City), Sarah Wright Olsen (House Bunny), Tymberlee Hill (The Hotwives), Dan Bucatinsky (Scandal; Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life), and Tim Meadows (SNL). Written for Casey, and with a smaller group of friends, Marry Me gives you a few episodes to say goodbye with, making the pain more sweet than bitter.

And then you should start the show all over again and catch the jokes that were so quick, you missed them the first time. Don’t cry because it’s over, cry because Happy Endings was a thing.

A big, funny, crazy thing. And you’re gonna love it.

How To Write All Your Favorite Superheroes And Still Keep Your Personal Integrity

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“It dates back to Watchmen, actually. As soon as a DC executive told Alan Moore to change the original Charlton characters into new characters (DC already had plans for the Fly, Blue Beetle, etc) and as soon as DC trademarked and copyrighted those new characters; well hey, that’s checkmate on the big board. If you change the way the character looks and his name, you’ve created a new character. So if that’s what’s holding you back from self-publishing, just pick a character you’ve always wanted to do, call him something else, change a few things about his appearance and away you go. And you don’t have to worry about some editor with a stick up his or her ass making you conform to company policy. You can do the story exactly the way you want it done. Isn’t that great? Well, I think it is.”

—Dave Sim

 

Isn’t what Cerebus creator Sim describes in the quote above done ALL the time?

A writer can’t do the Superman story he wanted to do so he writes a “Schmuperman” story instead and self-pubs it?

Or, to use a more mainstream example, an established comic company wants to ape their competition’s best-selling Team Book so they come out with their own version called “Not Team Book?” And every character is an analogue for a character we already know, and it’s sort of hip and ironic and satirical? And we end up with all these characters with crossbows and Doctor Strange capes and Wolverine hair and domino-masked sidekicks?

A writer I knew would pitch the same original superheroine to different publishers with different names and origins, so he could both expand his options for work and “keep” the character in case he wanted to move elsewhere. He could just start her up again as a creator-owned character with a different name…and not even a new name. Her original name. The stuff he pitched to the mainstream pubs had her fake names.

Is any of this stuff, in the end, really original anyhow? Aren’t we just influenced, if only subconsciously, by the superhero comics (or movies, or novels) of our youth? Is there no escape from influence? Isn’t it all a remix?

I mean, look at ancient mythology: What was Isis to the Egyptians morphed and “syncretized” into dozens of other goddesses in other cultures. Or look at the Sumerian origins of the Biblical flood story—compare the character of Utnapishtim from the Epic Of Gilgamesh to Noah.

And hell, look at the patchwork of influences that (theoretically) helped shape Superman and his mythos: Doc Savage, Philip Wylie’s Gladiator, the Johnny Weissmuller version of Tarzan…even Nietzsche technically came up with the name “Superman” way before Siegel and Shuster did.

Some call it homages…some call it “rip-offs.” Some call it skinny-dipping within the pool of the Collective Unconscious.

Now, here’s the other side of the coin: taking your original idea and “customizing” it to fit an established superhero brand. You have The Great American (or, the country of your choice) Comic…but it’s your character, your story. You’re trying to get it off the ground, you want it to have a wider audience. But it’s possible that the only way to really do that is to wrap that Idea up in the garb of the licensed characters of some big publisher.

Of course…you’re taking your chances when you choose that route. I’m thinking specifically of a big-name writer—mostly, though not exclusively, known for edgy, indie material—who was tapped to write a mainstream comic book that I once assisted on. Big lunch meetings, big plans. He was going to completely revolutionize the character. Poured his heart and soul into it.

Within a year, the editor of the title was gone, and the new editor alienated the writer and scrapped everything he had added to the character.

Don’t even bother trying to figure out who I’m talking about. This is an extremely common story. Consider it a parable. You know, like Noah/Utnapishtim.

One could imagine the spurned writer in such a situation then making a self-pub comic based on the experience…creating his own version of his own version of the publisher’s character.

Inception, comics-style.

I think when the comic creator meets the right mainstream character, magic can happen. For all else, I see no shame in an homage or two or three. It’s the Comics Way. It’s just what you chose to do with it, whether it’s adding to the rich tapestry of ideas in the Collective Pool or simply regurgitating primal moments in comics history.

And, hey—the latter might actually make you more money.

 

 

 

I Got Four Little Words For You: “Shame On You, Amy”

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Much ado was made about how Amy Sherman-Palladino would have ended Gilmore Girls had she been given the chance. And, as fans know, she had stated that she had four little words in mind to end the show since the early days.

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Well, in-fighting and drama outside of the script had poor little Amy leaving the show with an early exit, so she didn’t get to use her four little words idea, much to the dismay of fans everywhere

But then, almost a decade last, Netflix swooped in a saved the day. Nay, saved the year! Saved what looked to be a shitty, terrible festering year the way only the Gilmores can! And fans were finally graced with those four little words and an ending the way that Sherman-Palladino wanted.

SPOILERS!  SPOILERS!  SPOILERS!  SPOILERS!  SPOILERS!  SPOILERS!

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“Mom?”
“Yeah”
“I’m pregnant.”

Really?

Might I suggest a few other possible four-word entries:

Are you fucking kidding?
We deserve better, Palladino.
Talk about cheap shots.
It makes no sense.
That was uncalled for…

If you like, feel free to use them all together into a giant haiku of suck if you like. My gift to you.

These four little words are an atrocious affront to the legacy of Gilmore Girls. Up until then, the whole revival was pretty fun. Far from perfect, but I was willing to forgive a lot because A Year in the Life gave a lot.

I was willing to forgive Lane’s terrible haircut, lack of backstory and complete 180 turn on all her goals and dreams because I loved the seeing Hep Alien perform with Gil and Brian.

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I was willing to forgive the ten years the musical took off my life because it gave me Carole King inside jokes.

I got a second film from Kirk. I got Michele, both news of his husband and hints of his age. I got to see the inner workings of the Stars Hollow Gazette. I got Kirk at Friday night dinner. I got Miss Patty again. I got Morrey again. I got Caesar. I got Gypsy. I got Taylor and Dean and, God help me, even Jess. I even got a glimpse of the ever elusive Mr. Kim.

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I got Paris. Wonderful, wonderful Paris. Crazy ranting, super successful doctor-lawyer fertility clinic owning mother-of-two Paris. A Paris who can terrify a class of Chilton upper grades but carry an empty briefcase for security. Watching her kick a bathroom door close in an overpriced pump was a thing of beauty.

I got a mother-daughter bonding moment between Lorelai and Emily, much needed after the heartbreaking passing of Richard Gilmore. After years of bickering back and forth, that moment of understanding between the Emily and Lorelai both helped with the healing and was a great tribute to Edward Hermann.

And more importantly, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life gave me lots of Emily. Lots and lots of Emily. An Emily who can cuss and move freely thru an unfiltered Netflix universe of unlimited money and sets, and for that, I am forever grateful.

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But my happiness came at a price.

In return for a free Emily, I got a Rory who seemed to far from the mature 15-year-old we met in the pilot episode. Who is this 32-year-old asshole who sleeps with other woman’s fiancee’s and is bad with money? Who can’t plan for the future and doesn’t prepare for a job interview? This Rory seemed so far from the girl from Star Hollow that we all fell in love with and so much more like the DAR volunteer, Yale dropout from the sixth season that I despised.

The Gilmores were never the greatest girls. Funny, yes. But not great people. Look at how they treat men. And it seems that over the years, they only got worse. Rory is sleeping with Logan, who is engaged to the unseen Odetta. Both are okay with it, as Rory is dating Paul (who she calls Pete), because both are hell spawn.

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It appears that over the years, Rory went from shy and timid to a full-fledged bitch homewrecker. I have only ever seem Odetta from the back, but already I sympathize with her more than I do Rory.

Now, back to the four words:

Rory is pregnant by Logan (or by a one night stand with a Wookiee that was hastily written into the script to show Rory is having a meltdown). Logan is engaged. Rory is dating someone else at the time. They didn’t use protection because even though they both went to Yale, they forgot how babies are made.

So, the series ends with Rory getting pregnant by an awful person. Hopeful, Emily will have a hand in raising this one and she’ll end up okay. Or it will be a boy.

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But let’s say Amy Sherman-Palladino got her way and the series ended when Rory was 22 with these four little words. All of her hard work, her growth, it would have been all for naught. She wouldn’t have been able to hit the road with president-to-be Barry, or live in Brooklyn with that sticky wall, or travel the world and gather life experiences.

Instead, she would have been a footnote in the Stars Hollow Gazette, like her mother was.

Four little words. A cute idea in theory, but terrible in execution.

Unless you went with Scott Patterson’s idea: “Drop the gun, Kirk.”

 

 


The Cap Connection, Chapter 4: “Captain America #310″

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screenshot_2016-11-23-09-12-54While Steve Rogers discovers his new career path, the Serpent Society finally emerges!

Captain America #310
“Serpents of the World Unite”
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Pencils: Paul Neary
Inks: Dennis Janke

First off, read along with me!

You can find this book in print where back issues are sold, and collected in the “Society of Serpents” trade paperback!

Or you can read it digitally on Comixology, or on Marvel Unlimited!

Enter the Serpent Society!

Over the past three issues, the sinister Sidewinder has operated in the shadows, approaching a number of other snake-themed villains with the prospect of something major and potentially very lucrative.

His recruits include:

  • Black Mamba, a telepath who is also able to wield Darkforce energy (think actual darkness that can be used to choke the life from others)…
  • Anaconda, whose adamantium-laced skeleton and scaly skin make her incredibly tough, and whose elongating arms make very deadly…
  • Death Adder, left mute by the process that gave him gills, a bionic tail, and poison-tipped claws…
  • Cobra, veteran of the original Serpent Squad, super-strong and agile, and able to dislocate his joints at will…
  • Princess Python, a snake-charmer formerly of the second Serpent Squad and the Ringmaster’s Circus of Crime…
  • Asp, a dancer who wields bioelectric “venom bolts”…
  • Rattler, whose bionic tail can generate dangerous sonic vibrations, as well as simply bludgeon foes…
  • Bushmaster, the younger brother of a former Iron Fist villain of the same name, given bionic arms (with extendable fang-like blades) and a tail to replace the limbs he lost in an underwater accident…
  • Cottonmouth, another former Iron Fist villain, but not that Cottonmouth; this guy has super-strong jaw and neck muscles and huge steel fangs…
  • Diamondback, also not that Diamondback; trained by the Taskmaster and wielding gimmicked throwing diamonds, including acid-tipped and explosive diamonds…
  • and the Constrictor, a former undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. who abandoned the agency for a life of crime after suffering a breakdown while undercover.

The twist is that Sidewinder’s new group isn’t just a supervillain team, it’s a labor union.

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That’s such a brilliant idea.

Sidewinder figures that the good guys keep winning because they work together easily, while the bad guys work alone, take all the risks and eat all the costs. Here, the bad guys can work together on big money jobs, make guaranteed money, and get health insurance! That’s not even mentioning the ultimate perk: Sidewinder using his teleporation to instantly spring any of his members from jail.

The best thing about it is that Mark Gruenwald plays it relatively straight. Sure, there’s a sly, knowing humor to the concept, but he doesn’t do it to lampoon unions. Instead, he’s asking a long-overdue question, “Why wouldn’t the bad guys unionize?” After all, they’re career criminals out to make some cash, not ambitious world conquerors.

There’s often a lot of talk, especially when it comes to adapting superhero comics for the screen, about grounding these characters in realistic settings. Usually, when producers say that, they mean to tone down the color palette, pare down the humor, and remove the fantastical elements that make these stories and characters unique.

Gruenwald, however, was ahead of that curve. His way of juxtaposing the mystical with the mundane brought fresh air to the Captain America, simply by asking “Why not?”

Steve Rogers’ new career

That approach wasn’t just applied to the villains, but to Steve Rogers as well, in a weirder, more meta fashion. Rogers already had a job as a freelance advertising artist in his private life, but Gruenwald decided to twist that further.

Having quit advertising last issue, Rogers was in a funk about his prospects. By chance, however, he happens to overhear a couple of kids talking about his comic book on a subway train and inspiration strikes.

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Ever since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s groundbreaking run on Fantastic Four, it had been long established that a fictional, in-universe version of Marvel Comics actually published the adventures of the Marvel heroes. The Avengers and Fantastic Four both licensed their likenesses and adventures to the publisher. At this point, Steve Rogers’ secret identity was still unknown to the public, so there was no reason he couldn’t try to get a job at Marvel drawing his own comic book.

Unfortunately, his fiancée Bernie Rosenthal doesn’t share his enthusiasm. After losing the lease on her glass-blowing studio/shop, she was way too bummed to be excited about his new career choice. And while the two of them share a tender moment amidst at the end of the issue, it’s not hard to see their uncertainty towards the future covers more than just their jobs.

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Anaconda unleashed!

As teased by the cover, Cap battles Anaconda this issue, as she, along with Rattler and Cobra, are sent on a mission to retrieve an item from the Brand Corporation. It’s an initiation test that Sidewinder expects to go smoothly. What he doesn’t expect is the Constrictor’s interference.

Constrictor is the lone holdout from the group. He doesn’t trust Sidewinder, but also fears the Society cutting into his bottom line. Rather than get his own hands dirty though, he calls the Avengers’ emergency hotline with an anonymous tip blowing the operation.

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Captain America shows up, and while he recognizes the Cobra from a previous battle with the original Serpent Squad, Anaconda and Rattler are unknown quantities to him. Anaconda rushes to fight him, and between her stretching arms and his sonic rattle, Cap is momentarily surprised–more so as she smiles through his punches.

Paul Neary draws a fun battle scene between Cap and the snakes, with Cap trying in vain to stun the powerhouse Anaconda with punches. Only when he gets to his shield does he actually win, slinging it across her head just before she can break his ribs. In the commotion, Cobra and Rattler escape, and return to Sidewinder with the stolen item.

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Constrictor gets his in the end though. Cobra tracks him to his favorite bar and lures him out back, where Anaconda–already sprung from jail by Sidewinder–beats the snot out of him. It’s a great little scene, firmly establishing Constrictor as the real villain of this particular story for his betrayal and momentarily placing its sympathies behind Sidewinder and his union.

Almost everything** about this issue is on point. The characterization is clear and compelling, the plotting is tight as a drum, the art is dynamic and engaging, and even the dialogue is pretty fun for an ‘80s superhero comic. Moreover, it’s a great start to an arc with a lovely, refreshing idea. The first three issues were great table setting, but the fun is starting in earnest!

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Want to talk about this issue? Leave a message in the comments, or talk to me on Twitter!

Next week: The Serpent Society advertises! Steve Rogers, Marvel artist! An old threat is unearthed! And a new…scourge makes itself known!

**Almost everything, except for the opening sequence, unnecessary at best and creepy at worst, with Cap and fellow Avengers Black Knight and Starfox. It’s weird because of Starfox, a singular embodiment of the word “problematic” in comics. Starfox, Thanos’ brother, has superhuman strength, but prefers to use his “special” ability, to arouse the pleasure centers in an opponent’s brain. As you can imagine, this gets him into deep trouble down the road.

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‘Spirited Away: 15th Anniversary’ Comes to Select U.S. Cinemas on Dec. 4 & 5

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c0647-0079Enter an enchanted world of witches, dragons and spirits in “Spirited Away,” director Hayao Miyazaki’s, critically-acclaimed story that became a worldwide phenomenon, cementing Studio Ghibli’s legacy as one of the foremost animation studios in the world. “Spirited Away: 15th Anniversary” celebrates the anniversary of the Academy Award-winning animated film and the legendary Studio Ghibli.

Fathom Events, in partnership with GKIDS, the acclaimed distributor of multiple Academy Award-nominated animated features, is set to bring this special event to U.S. movie theaters for two days only on Sunday, December 4 at 12:00 p.m. (dubbed in English) and Monday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m. (English language subtitles) local time both dates. Following the full-length feature, attendees will see an exclusive short film, “Ghiblies: Episode 2,” never-before released in North America.

Tickets for “Spirited Away: 15th Anniversary” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 400 movie theaters. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Spirited Away” follows 10-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) on another seemingly-boring trip with her parents. However, when they stop at a mysterious village, her parents undergo a puzzling transformation, and she is whisked into a world of fantastic spirits, shape-shifting dragons and a witch who never wants to see her leave. Chihiro must call on the courage she never knew she had to free herself and return her family to the outside world.

“Spirited Away” is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest animated films of all times, earning a Best Animated Feature Academy Award for Hayao Miyazaki and unanimous praise from critics and audiences alike.

“We are excited to bring Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Spirited Away’ to cinemas for its 15th Anniversary,” Fathom Events CEO John Rubey said. “This Academy Award-winning film still resonates as a true animation masterpiece and will be a joy to experience on the big screen.”

Hot Topic will be the official retail partner of the “Spirited Away: 15th Anniversary” event – Fans can shop from their selection of “Spirited Away” products in store or online at HotTopic.com

Tickets for “Spirited Away: 15th Anniversary” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.

Movies for Tabletop Gaming Geeks: ‘The Gamers’

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gamersIn my never-ending quest for quality entertainment, I find myself exploring a lot of avenues that others have tread before, but were previously unknown to me. More fool, me. I wish I had heard about The Gamers series sooner. It’s prime entertainment for any fan of tabletop roleplaying culture, and gaming in general. This week’s column looks at the flagship films of Dead Gentlemen Productions.

Dead Gentlemen Productions is a group of independent filmmakers based in the Tacoma, Washington area. They formed in 1996 and produced a couple of low budget feature films that won some local acclaim (Demon Hunters and Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake), but really made a splash with their series of films and shorts evolving around their The Gamers franchise. While you’re not going to find these films in theaters, you will find some of them in the media rooms at gaming and other geek-related conventions, on YouTube, on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and other venues. By word of mouth, they’ve gained quite a bit of popularity, and for good reason. Despite low budgets and, at times, amateurish acting, Dead Men Productions, distributed through Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, have laid down some superb films made by, and made for gaming geeks.

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The Gamers

Their first feature, The Gamers (2002), written and directed by Matt Vancil, runs just under an hour and, while plainly low-budget (reports suggest a total budget of around $1,000), does an excellent job capturing and parodying the tabletop RPG gamer experience. With well-honed adventure plots subverted by players either getting too creative or, worse, trying to game the system, the story jumps back and forth between the college dorm playing session and the fantasy adventure itself. As each character attempts a particular feat, such as pickpocketing someone in the tavern, the real world player becomes the fantasy player. As the party quests to save a captive princess, a young woman in a neighboring dorm room tries to study for an exam and occasionally bursts in on the party to complain about the noise. She, too, has a role in the adventure story as she is apparently a stand in for the princess.

I won’t spoil the ending. It’s cute. Maybe even a little predictable.

It’s fun for what it is–a super low-budget film with cheap special effects and even cheaper makeup and costuming. But it’s genuine in its sense of fun. It’s easy to see why it was such a popular viewing draw at gaming conventions.

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising

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Where The Gamers was a simple story that relied heavily on gaming tropes and a gimmicky ending, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (2008), was a huge leap forward in storytelling and character development. While not a direct sequel, and taking around three years to produce and with a better budget, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, written and directed again by Matt Vancil, tells the story of a gamemaster and his group of gamers as they struggle to successfully complete the gamemaster’s homebrew campaign. Players blame the GM, the GM blames the players. To solve this, two new players are brought into the game which introduces new dynamics to a gaming group that has gone a bit stale.

As with The Gamers, the story jumps back and forth between the real world players and their fantasy world counterparts. There’s a lot of humor and it’s handled even better than in its predecessor. Gaming tropes such as player vs. character knowledge, min-maxing, cross-gender play, turn-based combat, critical rolls, and so forth all make an appearance. There is the “chaotic neutral” character whose unpredictability threaten the stability of the whole group. And then there’s the great running gag about the weak, death-prone bard which ends up becoming a crucial part to the climactic fight scene.

gamersdorkness2While the frame of the adventure story serves the narrative well, it’s the personal growth of the players and the gamemaster that make the movie not just fun, but also relevant. And it’s a fan film, of course. In addition to the heavy D&D theme, there are nods to Steve Jackson games such as Ninja Burger and Munchkins, and gamer-based comics such as Nodwick and Knights of the Dinner Table.

Where The Gamers was a fun little snack of a movie, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising is a fully-satisfying meal. It’s no wonder that the success and popularity of this film inevitably led to a Kickstarter-funded sequel.

handsoffatecoverThe Gamers: Hands of Fate

The Gamers: Hands of Fate (2013) takes on a lot. Clocking in at 125 minutes (145 in an extended cut), the movie starts with the same set of players and GM from Dorkness Rising a couple of years later. They’re having trouble continuing with their campaign because of a multitude of real-world interruptions.

They’re hoping an upcoming trip to GenCon will get things moving again. Then enters the Collectable Card Game storyline, Romance of the Nine Empires.

I’m not much of a CCG fan, so I was surprised when I found myself becoming entirely engaged by a feature film pivoting mainly on a stand-in combination of Magic: The Gathering and the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game.

I think it’s because of what the plot is really about, i.e., roleplaying with a focus on story vs. power gaming with a focus on winning. While there are a number of subplots within the film–a character stalking and abusing a game mascot, a botched marriage proposal, an attempt to “win” the girl, and so forth–what the film is really is the very soul of gaming itself.

I’ve never embraced the CCG community, but I do know that in some games, the cards are more than just scores on a piece of coated stock, but also elements to a story. A game isn’t just two players trying to knock the other opponent out based purely on stats and math, but is supposed to be something of an epic tale of battle as well. A deck can represent a whole subculture within the game. The artwork provides the pieces to the story as players piece them together.

In Hands of Fate, there is a major conflict between the side of the game players who believe in the value of story, and a competing faction who play purely for the winning. Where the storytellers want the story to grow and be enriched, the power players want the game reduced to a tournament style of play with cash prizes. They want to monetize the playing of the game. That’s what the climactic scenes address.
handsoffateThere is a lot going on in this third feature. Add to that incrementally better acting, better special effects, and rather decent writing.

If there’s a lack in this, and the previous films, is its lack of diversity. It’s an overwhelmingly white cast that is almost exclusively male. The films fail to reflect the growing diversity in gaming which is a damn shame. Seems like a lot of missed opportunity there to widen the appeal of the series. I will hand it to the writers, though, in addressing some of the issues of sexism in the gaming world–particularly in Hands of Fate.

There is an open acknowledgement of some of the hostility many women face in gaming–despite women being a large part of the culture now. And where the story could have easily trotted out the tired tropes of “winning the girl” in a couple of plot lines, they successfully subvert the trope and play it in a more mature, realistic fashion. Good for them.

Still… not the most realistic representation of the actual population that makes up gaming and fandom. Even the character based on a Japanese anime character is played by a white dude. Lame.

That aside, they’re fun films, and obviously labors of love.

humanshouseholdsAnd it doesn’t stop there. Dead Gentlemen Productions and Zombie Orpheus Entertainment have also put out additional short series including The Gamers: Humans & Households and The Gamers: Natural One.

The former tells the story of fantasy characters roleplaying as characters in our world, and the latter is a cyberpunk-inspired story in which a player’s non-gaming fiancée must prove his worth to her gaming brother. Both are fun, though a bit short. The Gamers gang has also performed a few live performances at gaming conventions, some of which are viewable on YouTube or available for order at their website.

So, where to view?

Quite a few places. When I came across them, it was first on Amazon Prime. It didn’t take long to find everything also available on YouTube. Extended editions, with commentaries, are available at the Dead Gentlemen Productions website, and the videos are also available on iTunes.  I’ve included links here for the YouTube presentations as they’re the most easily accessible.

Highly recommended for gamers, and those who love gamers. And hey, holidays are just about here.

Zombie Orpheus Entertainment has a lot of Gamers goodies available at the Paizo website. Check out for a full list.

Enjoy!

‘X-Men Gold’ and ‘X-Men Blue’ – Characters, Creators & More Revealed!

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x-men-blue-gold-headerA bright new tomorrow is coming for the Children of the Atom as the X-Men race full speed into ResurrXion! From the ashes of Inhumans vs. X-Men comes your first details about the highly anticipated new titles – X-MEN GOLD and X-MEN BLUE! Launching in April, these multi-shipping, ongoing series bring fans a new beginning for these merry mutants – one that is sure to please fans old and new!

“Following an era where the X-Men were on the back foot, fighting for the survival of their species, we wanted to take a moment to exhale and indulge in the kinds of big, beautiful, colorful stories that portray the X-Men at their best,” says Editor Daniel Ketchum. “It’s a return to form, with spandex costumes rather than body armor, softball games on the school lawn, and the X-Men on a proactive mission to be the greatest heroes of all time—to human and mutant alike.”

It all kicks off in X-MEN GOLD #1, as creators Marc Guggenheim (X-Men, Young X-Men) and Ardian Syaf (Green Lantern) bring together the X-Men’s biggest guns for an all-new adventure!

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Kitty Pryde has returned to Earth to find the X-Men in shambles. They survived their war with the Inhumans, but at a great cost. They’ve earned their future, now what are they going to do with it? Kitty takes the reigns and assembles a team of the most iconic X-Men to her side – Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Old Man Logan and Rachel Grey. They are the X-Men, and they’re here to take mutantkind into the future and make the world a better place!

Then, fan-fave creators Cullen Bunn (Uncanny X-Men, Monsters Unleashed) and Jorge Molina (A-Force, Star Wars) bring the time-displaced original X-Men together once more in X-MEN BLUE #1!

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With Jean Grey at the helm, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman and Angel will set out to embody Xavier’s dream – to foster a world that no longer hates and fears them. But they’ll have help from none other than…Magneto?! Why would these X-Men ally themselves with the man they once swore to defeat? Can the former mutant terrorist truly be trusted? The X-Men are young, but they aren’t stupid. Keep your enemies close, after all…

This is just the beginning! The future of the X-Men is bright, and it’s all beginning this Spring as RessurXion brings you a brand-new line of X-Men titles. Be there when it all kicks off in April when both X-MEN GOLD #1 and X-MEN BLUE #1 come to comic shops and digital devices everywhere! For more information on ResurrXion, visit Marvel.com.

To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com
or call 1-888-comicbook. 

 

Disney’s ‘Pinocchio Signature Collection’ Arrives on Blu-ray 1/31; Digital HD 1/10

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pinocchiosignaturecollblurayThis weekend at D23’s Destination D: Amazing Adventures event at Walt Disney World Resort, Tyler Slater and Nicole Nalty announced the addition of Disney’s triumphant animated classic “Pinocchio” to the celebrated Walt Disney Signature Collection and gave members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club the first look at the film’s all-new trailer. “Pinocchio,” which inspired the world to wish upon a star, arrives for the first time on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on Jan. 10, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD on Jan. 31 with hours of new and classic bonus features.

“Pinocchio” is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made, with two Academy Awards — for best original score and best original song “When You Wish Upon a Star” – and a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, it will delight a whole new generation of dreamers with its masterful animation, unforgettable characters and award-winning music.

The Walt Disney Signature Collection release includes hours of classic bonus material and exclusive features including a reinvented rendition of “When You Wish Upon a Star” created and performed by music influencers from Disney’s Maker Studios; never-before-seen artwork from the film’s Pleasure Island sequence; archival recordings of Walt himself during “Pinocchio” production; and a recently restored and scored 1927 short featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

“Pinocchio” tells the tale of wood-carver Geppetto’s beloved puppet who embarks on a thrilling quest – with faithful friend Jiminy Cricket – that tests his bravery, loyalty and honesty, all virtues he must learn to fulfill his heart’s desire: to become a real boy.

D23 is the official Disney fan club named in honor of the year 1923, when Walt left Kansas City, headed for Hollywood and founded what would become the Disney Studios. D23 celebrates Disney’s stories, characters, songs, and experiences that have captured imaginations the world over, offering members behind-the-scenes exclusives, member events, discounts and special offers.

 

Bonus Features:

BLU-RAY, DIGITAL HD* & DISNEY MOVIES ANYWHERE:

  • Walt’s Story Meetings: Pleasure Island – The Pleasure Island scene in “Pinocchio” had much more development than what is seen in the film. Join Pixar’s Pete Docter and Disney historian and author J.B. Kaufman as they explore artwork recently discovered in Disney’s animation research library revealing some of the attractions, gags and games, which Disney animators created for this iconic location of the film, that never made it on screen.
  • In Walt’s Words – “Pinocchio” – Hear Walt himself discuss the making of “Pinocchio” through archival recordings and interviews.
  • The Pinocchio Project: “When You Wish Upon a Star” – Music influencers Alex G, Tanner Patrick and JR Aquino from Disney’s Maker Studios, a global leader in short-form videos, gather in a creative workspace to create their rendition of the film’s signature song, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and produce a fresh new music video.
  • Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in “Poor Papa” – This recently restored and scored 1927 short features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit who gets multiple visits from the stork and is forced to attempt various methods to help stop the onslaught of baby deliveries.
  • Classic Bonus Features – These offerings from prior home entertainment releases include hours of bonus material, such as the making of “Pinocchio,” deleted scenes, sing-alongs, storyboards and theatrical trailers.

*Bonus features may vary by retailer

For more details visit Facebook.com/DisneyPinocchio

 

Italian Crime Drama, ‘Romanzo Criminale’ Now Available on iTunes!

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unnamedKino Lorber proudly announces the release of both seasons of ROMANZO CRIMINALE, the hit Italian TV series following the bloody and brutal rise of three young criminals to the top of the organized crime world in 1970s Rome, where corruption and terrorism run rampant.

The complete series, consisting of 22 episodes in total, will become available on iTunes on October 24th. Episode 1 will be available to watch free for a limited time. Both seasons will be offered together as ROMANZO CRIMINALE: THE COMPLETE SERIES, which is available in HD for $14.99 on iTunes.

Starring Vinicio Marchioni, Francesco Montanari, Alessandro Roja, and Marco Bocci, and directed by Stefano Sollima, ROMANZO CRIMINALE is based on the hard-hitting crime novel by Giancarlo De Cataldo (which also served as the basis for the 2005 film of the same title). The series will be released on Kino Lorber’s new Episodic Cinema label, dedicated to high-quality serial content from all over the world. Through this label, Kino Lorber has previously released other acclaimed international series including The Bureau Season 1, and Deutschland 83, the first German-language series to air on North American television, both of which are also available for download on iTunes.

ROMANZO CRIMINALE takes place amid the turmoil of Rome in the late 1970s. The powerful crime drama follows three petty criminals — friends since childhood — who conspire to rise to the top and gain control of the city’s underworld. Their criminal enterprises attract the attention of an idealistic police inspector who struggles to bring them down, facing resistance from both the criminal underworld and his own corrupt colleagues.

008-romanzo-criminale-theredlistThe events in the film are based on the activities of the Banda della Magliani, an organized crime organization that operated in Rome during the 1970s-1990s and was tied to acts of terrorism, assassinations of high profile figures (perhaps most famously “banker of God” Roberto Calvi), and other political events that split the country during the Cold War years. ROMANZO CRIMINALE draws from this explosive political climate as a backdrop for its story of power and corruption.

The Acclaimed Italian Crime Drama Series Romanzo Criminale
from Kino Lorber is Now Available on iTunes

 

Diamond Select Toys In Stores This Week: ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ and ‘Doctor Strange’!

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It’s a mind-blowing week at comic shops, as Diamond Select Toys ships two reality-twisting toy lines to stores across North America! First up, four Vinimates vinyl figures based on Alice Through the Looking Glass capture that movie’s time-traveling shenanigans, then the Doctor Strange Movie Minimates assortment captures all of the dimension-distorting magic of the hit Marvel Studios film!

Read on for details, then find a comic shop near you at comicshoplocator.com!

 

Alice Through the Looking Glass Vinimates Vinyl Figures

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A Diamond Select Toys release! Off with their heads! The newest movie to join the Vinimates revolution is Alice Through the Looking Glass! Four characters from the much-anticipated sequel – Alice, Mad Hatter, Red Queen and new villain Time – are now part of the Vinimates vinyl-figure army. Each 4-inch PVC figure is sculpted in the Minimates block-figure style, and pre-posed to display their personality. Plus, with their ball-jointed necks, you can add additional attitude to each already perfect pose! Each Vinimate is packaged in a full-color window box.

  • Alice Vinimate (Item #JUN162363, SRP: $9.99)
  • Mad Hatter Vinimate (Item #JUN162364, SRP: $9.99)
  • Red Queen Vinimate (Item #JUN162365, SRP: $9.99)
  • Time Vinimate (Item #JUN162366, SRP: $9.99)

 

Marvel Minimates Series 70 Doctor Strange Movie 2-Pack Asst.

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A Diamond Select Toys Release! The next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now the next entry in the long-running Marvel Minimates line! Series 70 of Marvel Minimates mini-figures travels to the world of the Doctor Strange movie, with four different two-packs: Doctor Strange with The Ancient One, Mordo with Kaecilius, the comic-shop-exclusive Stephen Strange with Christine Palmer and the comic-shop-exclusive Wong & Zealot! Each 2-inch Minimates mini-figure features 14 points of articulation and fully interchangeable parts. Each two-pack is packaged in a full-color window box. (Item #JUL162622, SRP: $9.99/ea.)

Find your nearest comic shop at comicshoplocator.com!

 


‘Slash’ (review)

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slash

Produced by Brock Williams, Jason Wehling,
Traci Carlson, Steven Berger, Jeryll Adler
Written and Directed by Clay Liford
Starring Michael Johnston, Hannah Marks,
Michael Ian Black, Missi Pyle, Sarah Ramos,
Peter Vack, Jessie Ennis, Matt Peters

 

A friend of mine, an avid film-festival-goer (and occasional fest programmer), once referred to a movie he’d just seen as a “festival movie”.

I knew immediately what he meant.

It’s not necessarily a pejorative: while it’s really along the lines of “I know it when I see it”, “festival movies” are generally lightweight, personal stories about the protagonists wanting to break out of their small worlds and discover themselves.

Most of these flicks are coming-of-age stories wherein the lead characters feel like they’re different from everyone else around, save perhaps one or two compatriots, and struggle to find an outlet for their unusual interests.

Slash falls squarely into the above sub-sub-subgenre. It’s a good, if quite minor, effort with solid performances throughout.

Our protagonist is a 15-year-old young man named Neil whose primary escape from a perceived dysfunctional home life and lack of friends is writing “slash fan fic” (fan fic with an explicitly sexual bent) of his favorite book and film series, Vanguard.

His notebook containing his latest story is taken away by some a-hole classmates and passed around, much to his peers’ derision. However, one fellow student, Julia, reads his slash fic and is quite impressed.  Turns out, she’s a slash fic writer herself and greatly encourages Neil to continue his writing, and to share it online.

He reluctantly does so, garnering the attention of 38-year-old Denis (played by the always-welcome Michael Ian Black) who, thinking Neil is eighteen, makes sexual advances toward Neil, who is far from put off.

The last act of the film takes place at a Comic-Con-esque convention wherein Neil plans to read his slash fic to a group of like-minded folks.

The relationships are handled with a refreshing frankness and honesty; Julia is utterly straightforward with Neil in that she’s confused about her feelings for him, while the potentially creepy Denis is actually a good-hearted nerd who, while attracted to Neil, is hardly a pedophile.

All of this is minor stuff, to be sure, but it’s handled well by writer/director Clay Liford, who also does well with the reenactments of Neil’s stories.  These sequences are quite amusing, with clichéd science fiction setups quickly evolving into make-out sessions and beyond.

“Festival Movie” it may be, but in the case of Slash, it’s a compliment.  It’s a niche idea of a coming-of-age film, one that most geeks could identify with, whatever their sexual proclivity.

Slash Arrives in Theaters and on VOD December 9th

Exclusive Premiere: ‘Everything’s OK’ Episode 7 – The Greatest “Post-Apocalyptic Cardboard Punk” Web Series Ever Made

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ef1f3d_66ff56daa4284eba9111fcdf30787cf2mv2It might be my favorite series ever that lists the severed head of Orson Welles as one of it’s main characters. Writer/Director Ace Salisbury debuted his 8 episode web series, Everything’s OK, back in August today, we’ve got the exclusive premiere of the penultimate seventh episode!

Everything’s OKis an episodic series best described as a ‘post-apocalyptic cardboard punk’ adventure. The series was scored with brand new, original music from Rob Crow of Pinback.  The series is a live-action/animated hybrid, a DIY VFX extravaganza, telling the story of a young woman’s search for her father amid the ruins of NYC ten years after fracking has caused the apocalypse. The 1% still rule, and everyone else walks around in an alternate, happy reality, thanks to “Gogol Glass.” This disillusioned young woman, however, is on a mission, with the help of a sidekick—the reanimated head of Orson Welles.

Ace Salisbury explains that the concept for the series came to him when he was struck with a mental image of Manhattan surrounded by gaping canyons instead of rivers. Barren, dried up, this was a New York City with no access to drinkable water. He ran with this thought experiment, imagining how we might have taken this chilling step backward in our quality of life. There wasn’t a zombie apocalypse, or a war with an invading alien species. To Salisbury, the answer was much darker because it was a human cause, and about to come true: fracking.

If you haven’t seen the series before, check out previous episodes at Eokshow.com before settling to watch, Episode 7!

Welcome To The Planet: ‘New Talent’ and Annuals

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The end of the year is just weeks away so the years annuals are out and of course there are three that deserve a special mention and so here they are!

Superman finally embraces his new home, planet Earth! With Swamp Thing delivering some harsh lessons along the way while Batman enjoys a quintuplet offering of stories and the DC initiative ‘The New Talent Showcase’  explodes with stories featuring Zatanna, Constantine, Wonder Woman, The Flash, The Lanterns, Hawkgirl, Deadman, Wonder Girl, Catwoman, Lois Lane, Batman & Harley Quinn!

Are they all winners? You’ll find out!

This is my look into the DC Universe this week!,

smann_cv1SUPERMAN ANNUAL #1

Tangled Up In Green

Writers: Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Cover: Jorge Jimenez & Alejandro Sanchez

Clark roams around Hamilton County, his land and that surrounding it are suffering a terribly drought despite the recent spells of rain. He takes to the skies and discovers that anything in remote proximity to the farm is dried out.

As if on cue Dr. Alec Holland burst from the ground warning Superman that he doesn’t belong on this earth. The avatar of the green, Alec is also known as Swamp Thing!

Swamp Thing tells Clark he was drawn to Hamilton because of the disturbances in nature and Clark recalls when his touch on the soil made it glow with blue energy, this in effect was the Earth repelling him.

Superman agrees to help bet when he pats Alec’s shoulder in reassurance the blue glow appears and begins killing Swamp Thing who in turn lashes out attacking Clark until he formulates a plan and drags Alec deep into the soil hoping the earth would cleanse him of the infection.

Cured, Alec realises Superman has happened upon the remedy to the situation and offers to fuse with Clark. Inside the avatar Clark awakens but his mind is now one with Alec’s own and Swamp Thing realises that until Superman embraces the future as a citizen of this Earth rather than a visitor he and the Earth will repel each other.

Superman embraces the green and is set free, with a new understanding of his new life and home.
The End.

ART: 5/5
Having an artist continually push themselves is an unforgettable experience. We’ve all seen artists fall back on ‘typical’ poses but Jimenez is always throwing in something new, sometimes as they are retread they get reclassified as iconic. Alec’s power set only worked at making Superman more dynamic and going up against him was something entirely different.

smann_1_1 smann_1_2 smann_1_3 smann_1_4-5 smann_1_6 smann_1_7 smann_1_8COVER: 4/5

A spooky, Vertigo-esque style cover that lives up to its promise. I’m not particularly sold on the color palette but overall it’s a great annual cover.

ISSUE RATING: 5/5

Dispelling the rumours that the blue glow in the soil was connected to The Watchmen, we instead find that after a year in action, Superman is no longer a strange visitor literally from another planet but one that has a wife, family and future on this Earth. It is an enjoyable tale that isn’t mired down by the current storyline and instead goes into looking at Clark himself. By taking time to explore the person IN the suit we gain a new perspective and a fantastic story.

 

bm_annual_cv1BATMAN ANNUAL #1

Good Boy

Writer: Tom King
Artist: David Finch
Cover: David Finch & Brad Anderson

Batman is bitten in the neck by a vicious dog, the last living of four former pets of the Joker left to die in a pit.

Tasked with taking the dog to the pound, Alfred is turned away as it is too vicious to be rehomed. Refusing to give up Alfred returns home and determined to prove everyone wrong he spends each day training the dog  despite Bruce’s assessment that the dog is beyond saving.

After a particularly exhausting night in Gotham an injured Bruce returns home crumpling in his leather chair in front of his computer consoles. The dog worried for Bruce tends to his wounds and offers support.

Watching, Alfred thinks back to when he brought the first Ace home and how Bruce instinctively took to him. He smiles to himself ‘World’s Greatest Detective indeed!’

bm_annual_1_1 bm_annual_1_2 bm_annual_1_3 bm_annual_1_4 bm_annual_1_5 bm_annual_1_6 bm_annual_1_7 bm_annual_1_8ART: 4/5
Beautifully illustrated but one niggle is the passage of time. I took the final scene to be young Bruce but it really isn’t too clear if that is the case. Bruce looks younger there but that could just be the inking… the dates don’t stipulate year… touching nevertheless, Finch doesn’t disappoint.

STORY RATING: 4/5
A touching story with the focus on relationships, man and boy, man and dog. Looking especially at second chances in life. The timeline is a little unclear and that’s the only fault. It’s rare for Alfred, or even Ace to have a moment in the spotlight.

Silent Night

Writers: Scott Snyder & Ray Fawkes
Artist: Declan Shalvey

Batman ponders the technical expertise of the Batcomputer and how it is able to intercept and analyze calls so as to effectively alert Batman to emergencies.

In Champion Square Bruce watches as a group of people clad in red swarm into the square, shed their coats to reveal black leotards and begin scaling the sculptures.

Batman asks Alfred to recheck the computer data for anything about this incident but is taken aback when crime in the city falls silent as everyone stops to watch the acrobatics of performance art on this Christmas night.

The silence doesn’t last and Bruce is called back into his fight with crime, but for one brief moment, there was Peace on Earth…

ART: 3/5
Stylistically it is very bare, in one way that leads you to want more and in another it allows you to enjoy the short story without the clutter of over detailing. The acrobatics, though frozen in the panels help you envisage a balletic routine and for a brief moment, some light in the darkness.

STORY RATING: 3/5
There isn’t much meat on the bones of this story, but there needn’t be, it really is all about the visuals than it is about Batman. For eight pages there is actually a lot for you to process that isn’t in the spoken word nor the artwork.

The Not So Silent Night Of The Harley Quinn

Writer: Paul Dini
Artist: Neal Adams

Batman catches Harley Quinn trying to break into Police Headquarters.

He snatches her away as she is about to deliver cookies and candy to the prisoners and a pudding shaped bomb for her ex.

Batman offers to drop Harley off at the city limits as they pass a charity for children’s toys, Batman sees a group of thug children harassing two kids. But one dressed as Harley fights them off.

Next they watch as a Harley Quinn lookalike rescues a runaway pet dog  from oncoming traffic, then a woman running away from her abusive husband finds himself trapped by an army of Harley Quinn’s taking part in a Christmas parade.

Harley has tried the entire drive to convince Batman to sing carols and to her astonishment he eventually does and as a bonus he even drives her all the way home!

ART: 4/5
Neal Adams does a great job showing us a much lighter side to Batman in just the artwork alone, It was also great to see Batman sporting the blue grey and yellow look as it added a lot to the lightness in the story.

STORY RATING: 5/5
Nobody gets Batman or Harley Quinn quite like Paul Dini. This is the best story of the four we are presented and the most enjoyable. Harley is quite clearly dangerous but she has a pure heart and somehow she is able to bring out the same traits in the dark knight!

Stag

Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Ripley Rossmo

Bruce Wayne, Comissioner Gordon and Barry O’Neill are opening a Winter theme park for the children of Gotham when Mister Blizzard attacks. He takes umbrage to O’Neill commissioning a plywood and fake snow ice town instead of the real thing.

Batman arrives and fights Blizzard to the finish, leaving him in the hands of Commissioner Gordon before vanishing into the night. Gordon questions O’Neill who reveals that Blizzard had sent warning letters but he’d just wanted the children of Gotham to experience some light and happiness.

Duke stops by Wayne Manor for a one to one with Bruce who tells him, O’Neill has always done good for the city, more then Bruce ever did, he spent so much of his life and wealth caring for the city that even his mother used to look up to him.

He tells Duke that no matter what, no matter who you are something always comes after you. But as he does so almost prophetically, O’Neill is murdered in his own home by someone dressed in gothic clothing names… The Stag.

To Be Continued…

ART: 4/5
Really spooky art, the last two pages really emanate with chills. The lighter pages are perhaps a little too bright for Gotham but then Mister Blizzard makes much of his surroundings glow white. Outside of the winter setting I’m sure Rossmo’s art will compliment the darkness perfectly.

STORY RATING: 4/5
A precursor to a new storyline, not much is given away except that The Stag is a deadly new villain. We really have nothing more than the murder of O’Neill to go on so reserving judgement is all we can do here. The unsettling feeling Bruce has definitely makes you think something big is on the way.

The Insecurity Diversion

Writer: Scott Bryan Wilson
Artist: Bilquis Evely

In Arkham Asylum they are having a ‘ Good Behaviour Party’ an idea of  one of the psychologists, one that Batman vehemently disagrees with. Watching from outside Bruce realises that fear gas has enveloped the city. A weakened strain to create anxiety. Batman races away to find the source and discovers drones spraying the gas and takes them out.

At first Bruce thinks it is a test for a bigger attack later then remembers the Asylum and realises it was a distraction. Delia Pflaum, Haunter has escaped, her special skill is being able to kill people using their own DNA and she was close friends with Scarecrow.

Bruce tracks them down and Scarecrow, they believe they have some of Batman’s DNA that they’ve snatched from him but realise he’d tricked them with a paralysis toxin himself ending their plan once and for all.

ART: 3/5
Being word heavy and truncating the art into such a small page count means that Evely has to work that much harder to convey the storyline and unfortunately the finale is spoiled because of those factors

STORY RATING: 3/5
Again as with the art, squeezing it into so a small page count has meant a story that could easily have been a whole issue has not been allowed to breathe.

COVER: 3/5

Not an awful cover, just not what I’m used to from Finch.

It looks good but there is no emotional, or iconic power behind it.

Perhaps like the Stag storyline, the winter palette is what weakens the artwork.

ISSUE RATING: 3/5

A unique look into different aspects of DC’s Darkest Knight, ultimately I feel they made a mistake. Despite all the stories explorations having five forced them all to be too short. It did make me want to read more Batman though, I just wished it was longer.

NEW TALENT SHOWCASE #1

cover_newts_cv1 newtalentshowcase_toc_1 newtalentshowcase_toc_2

Hellblazer: The Road To Hell and All That

Writer: Adam Smith
Artist: Siya Oum

John Constantine is hunched over a toilet vomiting, much to the amusement of several demon folk. He thinks back to Kansas and visiting a demonic bar there, thinking back further still he finds himself with Zatanna. Zatarra has died and John in his own unique way is trying to comfort his young daughter. Naturally he does nothing more than upset her further.

A fellow drinker turns to him and tells him to go home but John, determined to make it up to Zatanna wants to find Zatarra for her. The drinker reveals himself to be Zatarra, damned to hell for his actions and ones he wants his daughter to never know.

As John promises, he doesn’t reveal the truth to Zatanna, but he does make sure she’s ok…

The End

ART: 5/5
A nicely illustrated tale with a variety of techniques utilised to make the story feel more emotive. I like the painted style Oum has used in the art it really adds to the atmosphere.

STORY RATING: 4/5
A little on the weak side, Constantine doesn’t seem to be his usual self (as in a potty mouthed, arrogant ass) but it gets the point across. Would have liked this expanded upon. Perhaps this will be the case someday.

Wonder Woman: Blood & Glory

Writer: Vita Ayala
Artist: Khary Randolph

Diana is battling several mythic beasts who are destroying downtown Chicago. Magical glyphs hover over each of them and Wonder Woman struggles to fight the beasts all off.

The Flash arrives to assist but proves to be unneeded as Dina channels the powers of the God of War finishing them all off.

On Themiscira, in Circe’s lair the sorceress Cyrene asks an amazon if she is willing to join the cause and carves a glyph into her forearm.

Back in Chicago Wonder Woman and Flash make peace and Diana flies home to investigate the glyphs.

To Be Continued.

ART: 3/5
The art style is unique, utilised with the beasts it definitely bursts with energy but Diana and Wally seem too angular and anatomically awkward is some panels. The fight scenes look amazing but the scenes where the primary focus drama seem to suffer because of that angular style. Continuity with the costumes would have helped with the narrative and timeline.

STORY RATING: 3/5
This is clearly during Diana’s God of War days and in that respect it’s a nice sideline story that pushed that saga forward though it’s a shame it is pre rebirth material. Diana also is incredibly frosty, the script makes her personality positively robotic, a shame as she was never that stilted.

White Lantern: Dead Beacons

Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Barnaby Bagenda

A dead Oan ship in distant space attracts two salvagers hunting for valuables. Unfortunately all that waits for them is a villain who was snubbed as a ring bearer and now seeks revenge.

Elsewhere on the planet Losum, Carol Ferris aka Star Sapphire and Kyle Rayner aka the White Lantern are protecting the planet from the alien race The Hive.

Kyle reminds them his power is hope and they are darkness, destroying the invading forces he turns to Carol who mentions seeing an email from Kyle’s father and they contemplate rebuilding bridges. Kyle reminds Star Sapphire it is their anniversary and they head off to celebrate.

To Be Continued…

ART: 4/5
Some amazing pencil work here. The ship at the beginning and then in the attack by N’Thall, there is an attention to detail and an equal about of vibrancy that really helps it pop

STORY RATING: 3/5
It certainly feels like a prologue, that unfortunately is it’s downfall, it feels like its starting something but summing up everything, nothing really does happen at least not in what is set up. It’s promising as a new threat to the Corps but It just seems like it isn’t finished.

Hawkgirl: Weapons of War

Writer: Erica Schultz
Artist: Sonny Liew

Then…

Detective Hall arrives to meet the team and her partner Detective Cariad at the scene of a crime. Two men have been killed, one with a burning hole in it chest, the other ripped in two. Of course Shayera recognises the wounds as being inflicted by aliens weaponry but she keeps it to herself. The Nth metal mace she owns hums when it detects other Nth metal nearby but when she discovers the weapon hidden under a dumpster the two detectives are summoned back to the precinct.

When Shayera gets homeshe unmaks her thanagarian wall safe and inside it all the thanagerian weaponry that has been making its way to Earth. Warhawk   has left her all manner of tech to help her but sadly no way to contact her home planet.

Scanning the weapon she discovers human DNA and worries that more might get into human hands…

Now…

It is too late, Hawkgirl has been beaten to a pulp as a large Thanagarian warrior forces her to watch the citizens of Chicago kill each other with the weapons.

To Be Continued…

ART: 3/5
Not sure I really like this style, at least not for the mainstream. Personal tastes but I have been wrong, look at Batgirl, Blue Beetle or Gotham Academy unique art can really make a book come to life. I haven’t read a Hawkgirl solo book for many years, I’m willing to give it a try.

STORY RATING: 5/5
This new talent showcase is starting to get on my nerves. I was really getting into this story and just like that, it’s over. I sincerely hope this isn’t the last of this story as it was just gaining momentum.

Deadman: Killing Time

Writer: Christopher Sebela
Artist: David Messina

Deadman watches Gotham from high above. The Goddess Rama forced a task upon Boston Brand that he must work toward restoring the balance between good and evil. So tonight he possesses the body of Lawyer Allen Renner, a hotshot lawyer building a case against an army general. A criminal case that is about to get Renner killed by a car full of thugs.

Boston possesses each thug using each as a weapon to take out the other then afterwards he heads to Chez Charlie to relax. A bar frequented by ghosts.

Rama appears and Boston complains that the task she set him is impossible, she tells him if he completed the tasks she sets he would be on his way and a puzzled Boston tells her he did his part and Renner is alive.

Rama shakes her head and tells him Renner will die in three minutes.

To Be Continued…

ART: 5/5
Wow. Some absolutely stunning art in this segment. This style is brilliantly suited to Deadman. Clear, concise and not too overdetailed. My favourite strip in the whole book.

STORY RATING: 5/5
A nice jumping on point for anyone not familiar with Boston Brand, Deadman or his mission. Everything is covered and a mystery is thrown in to boot. Could there be more? Absolutely, Should there be more?

Absolutely!

Wonder Girl: Digging Up Demons

Writer: Hena Khan
Artist: Emanuela Lupacchino

Cassie is in Jordan investigating a bombing but what she finds is a storm of spirits called Jinn. When they vanish and the police arrive Cassie discovers the Seal of Solomon was stolen from an archaeological site and it holds dominion over Jinn. With three sites already attacked by Jinn, a detective on scene suspects the bearer of the seal is after the Pentacle Of Solomon.

Consulting her mother Cassie tells her she isn’t the thief and comes across Diesel long thought dead, despite his anger that Cassie now owns the armour he swears he wishes to help. Cassie abandons him in the desert and races to meet her mother. Cassie tells how she came to be in possession of the armour, how it bonded with her when she tried to save Diesel’s life.

She tells her mother that Diesel might be the thief as he miraculously reappeared as the robberies began. As her mother leaves to freshen up the detective calls and reveals the thief is Helena Sandsmark, Cassie’s mother!

To Be Continued…

ART: 4/5
Fantastic artwork. Lupacchino continues to impress and though the colour palette especially on Cassie’s hair and in backgrounds can be a little oversaturating; the pencilling is what really brings it to life.

STORY RATING: 5/5
“Stop trying to make Wonder Girl happen!” I can almost hear Regina George saying it. However… no really, however, this is an intriguing story that actually makes me like her and I HATED the Teen Titans book so that is a huge accomplishment.

Catwoman/Wonder Woman: The Amazonian Job

Writer: Emma Beeby
Artist: Minkyu Jung

Wonder Woman interrupts a robbery by Catwoman, intent on hiring her for her unique skills.

A god aboard the nuclear submarine U.S.S Mount Olympus takes control of it. He explains what happened to the gods and how they fell from grace and worship but are now ready to rise again.

Elsewhere, Diana and Catwoman argue over the job, more specifically the fee. Diana cannot promise untold riches but offers to help her with the League Of Assassins if Selina helps.

They arrive on Themyscira and Diana asks if Selina would like to reconsider, if the challenge to steal a priceless treasure from an impenetrable fortress is to much for her to deal with.

Catwoman smiles and leaps into action.

To Be Continued…

ART: 3/5
The women look fantastic but the men seem to be a little off, shorter, tubbier… perhaps intentionally to make the women more svelte? The detail especially facially is a little light but as I said but the female leads have some beautifully rendered art showcasing them

STORY RATING: 3/5
It is a bit of a dull non story to be honest, I get that Diana needs an expert thief but nothing aside from a slight comment is really made of it and more time is spent focusing on the mystery god in the submarine. It would have been nicer to see more of Diana and Selina in action.

Superman: The Man in Black

Writer: Michael McMillian
Artist: Juan Ferreyra

A sheriff is out on patrol and comments on the rise of calls about UFO’s he laughs them off as shooting stars until a spacecraft literally appears out of nowhere. The pilot steps out as an extremely tall and thin alien named Enrik Kol who promises he has come to save the planet.

Years later Superman is fighting a giant robot painted to look like the Joker. Superman slams the robot to the ground and rips the front off but instead of the Joker he is confronted by his wife Lois Lane!
Combining his x-ray and heat vision he is able to create concentrated microwaves and he uses this trick to burn out the Joket toxin from Lois’ blood stream.

With Lois cured they rush to get to an antidote to be completely sure, but Clark has to know how Joker infected her. Lois tells him Jon was safe at school and Joker wasn’t the maniacal clown they’re used to, instead he was cold, and apologised for infecting her but it had to be done to save the planet.

Batman radios Superman about the Joker and Clark tells him of the attack on Metropolis, but Batman has a bigger revelation… the Joker has moved on and has made Smallville his target.

To Be Continued…

ART: 5/5
I really dig this style, it’s a break from the norm that doubtless takes longer to achieve than the normal pencil & ink but the end result is more than worth it.
I would love to see more of this style.

STORY RATING: 5/5
A unique mix of elements, there is some classic superhero action but some new innovations mixed in like the super signal radio messages and the microwave vision that gives Superman little tweaks of freshness. Then we have Enrik Kol and the pulp sci fi elements that also mix it up a little. I wish there was more!

Harley Quinn: Good Morning, Gotham!

Writer: Joelle Jones
Artist: Sam Lofti

A terrorist threat looms over Gotham with an airborne virus spreading everywhere. With all the chaos outside the guards are all watching the news leaving Harley to lock them out of the break room and raid the storage rooms.

She rouses the inmates into a break out and the criminally insane wreak havoc in the Asylum even when armed reinforcements arrive to fight the inmates they make short work of them.

With freedom in sight the inmates witness the horror of the attack on Gotham and decide to barricade themselves in till it boils over. Harley however has adventure on her mind and escapes!

To Be Continued…

ART: 4/5
Uniquely suited to Harley Quinn and the sorts of books that thrive on wild and out of the ordinary storytelling. It wasn’t for me personally but I can certainly see the appeal as it is bursting with a zany outlook and certainly evokes fun!

STORY RATING: 3/5
Not much in the way of story, it is just one long crazy action sequence.
There is no harm in it but there is usually more meat to a story, at least from what I’m used to.

COVER: 3/5

Cover: Klaus Janson
Loud, bright, garishly inked and coloured. It certainly stands out it just doesn’t really ‘sell’ it as something epic and new.

ISSUE RATING: 3/5

I want to rate it higher, I really do but this book really doesn’t know what it is.
Why did we get to see it? What was the purpose for me, as a reader?
‘This is what a recruiter has to look at ‘ is that the justification for seeing print? It’s interesting, maybe for an article on the DC website or for the DC All Access video cast. It’s like flipping through portfolios and as beautiful as many if the segment’s were in both art & writing… they weren’t complete. By the end I was disappointed as a lot of promises will never see fruition.
Surely if this were a proper showcase for a writer there should be a beginning, middle & and end and for an artist, the opportunity to draw drama, stillness, emotion as well as the explosive battles? If I’d seen that in each segment my rating would have been a 5. Everything comes off as unfinished and makes for a perplexing book.
At least some of the artists and writers included within are successfully already working on DC books, so they must have impressed the powers that be. I also wish them well because this must have been a tough assignment.

Stream On: What’s New to Netflix in December 2016

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This Christmas, Netflix has stacked the tree with tons of original movies and series, a few assorted gems from that Disney deal, and a one or two Christmas themed Hallmark movies that might make you throw up your eggnog just a little bit.

Missing this year: selection. There are good pics here and there, but not the mind-numbing amount of movies there used to be. But while selections of high caliber Hollywood hits seems to be dwindling, the amount of original fare is hitting new heights.

So, for now, bring on the goodies…

DECEMBER 1

Always (1989)

One of the few Spielberg “meh” pics. The legendary opts to remake A Guy Named Joe, cast Richard Dreyfuss in the Spencer Tracy role.

Angels in the Snow (2015)

“When nothing short of a miracle can hold a deteriorating family together, a Christmas getaway sets the stage for a miracle to occur.”

A TV movie whose Christmas wish is to be Love, Actually.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

One of the reasons why Eddie Murphy will always get gigs in Hollywood no matter how bad they might bomb. His Axel Foley is as iconic as his laugh.

Beyond Bollywood (2014)

A look at the Indian film industry that makes Hollywood look like a bunch of slackers.

Black Snake Moan (2007)

Samuel L. Jackson attempts to save sinful nymphomaniac Rae (Christina Ricci) from herself by chaining her to a radiator. Despite all attempts to looks and sound sleazy, it’s a pretty good movie.

Chill with Bob Ross: Collection (1990)

Enjoy a few hours with painter and human Xanax Bob Ross.

Compulsion (1959)

A fictionalized version of the infamous Leopold-Loeb case in which two good-looking, wealthy students are on trial for a thrill kill. Orson Welles stars as their defense attorney in this classic.

D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)

D2: Emilio Estevez Needs A Beach House

David Blaine: Street Magic (1997)

Before he was scaring the shit out of Harrison Ford in his own house, Blaine was freaking people out on the street.

For the Love of Spock (2016)

A look at the life and career of actor, director and writer Leonard Nimoy.

Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce (Season 2)

Self-help guru’s life and career are in shambles when her own love life falls apart.

Glory Daze: The Life and Time of Michael Alig (2016)

A look at King of the Club Kids-turned-murder Michael Alig whose rise to fame in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s highlight the decadence of the era.

Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

Family adopts Bigfoot.

Hitler: A Career (1977)

To be clear, this is not actually a career option.

Holiday Engagement (2011)

Holiday TV Movie alert! In this 90-minute holiday romp, a woman hires an actor to play her boyfriend because it’s better to be a liar than single.

On an unrelated note: Fuck you, Hallmark Channel.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Classic Disney movie about a goofy scientist (played by quintessential late ‘80s science man Rick Moranis) who accidentally shrinks his kids and the neighbors kids. A classic.

House of Wax (2006)

Soulless, mediocre remake of a classic horror pic starring Paris Hilton instead of Vincent Price. Because life isn’t fair sometimes.

Hannibal (2001)

Everyone’s favorite cannibal returns to wreak havoc on the life of Clarice Starling, now disgraced from her beloved gig in the FBI.

Merry Kissmas (2015)

Even if you have the lowest of all possible standards on basic cable Christmas movies, this one is just astounding. A magic elevator that causes you to kiss strangers. Let that one sink in.

National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)

Perhaps one of the best comedies ever made, this is exactly what you need to watch when you are hungover and on the couch drinking ginger ale. Just let Bluto take care of you. And you better listen to him. He’s in pre-med.

Picture Perfect (1997)

This movie is the definition of “airplane pic.”

Jennifer Aniston is the lady version of Ryan Reynolds’ career before Deadpool saved him. I really hope she finds her Deadpool soon. I can’t deal with another quirk comedy.

Rainbow Time (2016)

The Duplass brothers offer this off-kilter dramedy about a developmentally disabled man who blackmails his younger brother into sharing his life by holding secrets over his head.

Rodeo & Juliet (2015)

City girl falls for cowboy and horseback riding.

Not original, but they get points for the pun.

Swept Under (2016)

A crime scene cleaner finds additional evidence and teams with a detective to go all Encyclopedia Brown on the case.

Switchback (1997)

Dennis Quaid plays an FBI agent who heads to Texas to hunt down a serial killer who kidnapped his son.

The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

The movie based on the app that arrived a few years too late.

The Crucible (1996)

Daniel Day-Lewis, Joan Allen and Winona Ryder star in Arthur Miller’s drama about a love triangle gone horribly wrong during the Salem Witch Trials. Award-worthy performances from everyone involved. Story is a loosely-based allegory for the Senator Joseph McCarthy’s oppressive tactics toward Hollywood during the Red Scare.

The Little Rascals (1994)

The adorable moppets of yesterday got a movie in the ‘90s in this forgotten kiddie pic.

The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)

Matt Damon meets Will Smith a magical man who helps him win a golf game and the heart of Charlize Theron. Believe it or not, Robert Redford was responsible for this.

The Rock (1996)

Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery team up to break into Alcatraz after Ed Harris takes it hostage. Remember what I said before about Animal House being great for hangovers? So is this movie. Just a fan-fucking-tastic time.

The Spirit of Christmas (2015)

A woman falls in love with a ghost because Lifetime thinks it understands woman.

If you listen very closely, you can actually hear my eyes roll back into my head as I write this.

Toys (1992)

Surreal comedy about a child-like toymaker (Robin Williams) who must defend his factor from his war-hungry uncle who looks to turn kids into real-life G.I. Joes.

Uncle Nick (2015)

Brian Posehn ruins Christmas by trying to fuck his step-niece.

Ha. Take that, Lifetime.

Waking Life (2001)

Richard Linklater discovers the joys of rotoscoping and Winona Ryder’s boobies in this surreal hipster journey.

Way of the Dragon (1972)

Bruce Lee wrote, directed and starred in this movie that has Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris.

Whenever I’m asked to prove the existence of God, I cite this movie as proof.

We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story (1993)

Fun loving dinos to go New York. Hijinks and attempts to sell toys ensue.

White Girl (2016)

A college girl falls for her drug deal.

Wildflower (2016)

A college girl in art school struggles with what could be repressed memories in this drama.

Zero Point (2014)

“In a near future London besieged by rioting, recession and power blackouts, the Prime Minister is assassinated in broad daylight by extremists. But when cop David Ariel is framed, his hunt for the PM’s killers uncovers something far worse: an ancient war which could rip apart the fabric of spacetime itself.”

DECEMBER 2

Fauda (Season 1; Netflix original series)

Israeli military thriller about the commander of a Mista’arvim unit and their attempts to capture an elusive terrorist.

Hip Hop Evolution (Season 1; Netflix original series)

“Critically acclaimed MC and journalist Shad Kabango sets out to uncover the foundations of Hip-Hop music. Beginning his journey in the Bronx, Shad meets with the DJs and MCs who set the template for all to follow.”

Pacific Heat (Season 1, Netflix original series)

“In this animated satire, a covert squad of operatives short on smarts but long on confidence tackles crime on the glitzy Gold Coast of Australia.”

DECEMBER 3

Lost & Found Music Studios (Season 2; Netflix original series)

“Teen singers-songwriters in an elite music program form bonds of friendship, creativity and romance while turning their passion into their profession.”

DECEMBER 5

Mad (2016)

Indie pic about a mother who is pushed passed the point of sanity by her selfish, petty adult daughters.

The Good Neighbor (2016)

Teens attempting to torment an elderly neighbor with a fake haunting get the tables turned on them in this mediocre scarer.

DECEMBER 6

Blue Jay (2016)

Mark Duplass’ character study about former high school sweethearts who reconnect after a chance meeting.

Reggie Watts: Spatial (Netflix original)

“The comic innovator delivers a surreal set blending experimental songs, jokes about grits, guns and drugs, and other improvised comedy adventures.”

The Devil Dolls (2016)

A serial killer’s personal worry dolls take over the residents of a small Southern town, causing them to murder each other.

The Model (2016)

A teen model slowly becomes unhinged as she attempts to make it big in the Parisian scene. In other words, she becomes a model.

DECEMBER 8

The Cuba Libre Story (Season 1; Netflix original)

DECEMBER 9

Captive (Season 1; Netflix original)

“The producers of Captive have gained privileged access to the most challenging negotiations of our time — revealing how hostage-taking, and the efforts to resolve it, have evolved to address an escalating international trend.”

Cirque du Soleil Junior – Luna Petunia  (Season 1; Netflix original series)

“With help from her magic toy chest, fun-loving Luna Petunia enters the fantastic land of Amazia, where adventures, friendship and learning await.”

Club de Cuervos  (Season 1; Netflix original series)

“A brother and sister battle high expectations and each other after inheriting a soccer team. A series from the creators of ‘Nosotros los Nobles.’”

Fuller House (Season 2; Netflix original series)

“The Tanner family’s adventures continue as DJ Tanner-Fuller shares a home with her sister Stephanie and friend Kimmy who help raise her three boys.”

Four Seasons in Havana  (Season 1; Netflix original series)

Murder mystery set in Cuba in the 1990s based on the noir novel by Leonardo Padura.

Medici: Masters of Florence  (Season 1; Netflix original series)

“A political, family drama set in Florence in the early 15th century. Cosimo de’ Medici finds himself at the helm of his supremely wealthy, banking dynasty family, when his father, Giovanni dies suddenly.”

Spectral (Netflix original)

“The film follows a brilliant DARPA scientist who goes on a deadly mission with a Special Ops team of Delta Force soldiers into a war-torn city where mysterious phantom aggressors code-named Spectral have been causing inexplicable civilians deaths.” (From ComingSoon.com)

White Rabbit Project  (Season 1; Netflix original)

“Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara rank history’s greatest inventions, heists and more in this series from the producers of “MythBusters.”

DECEMBER 10

Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

Dark comedy with a hell of a cast as misfit Slevin (Josh Hartnett, before he found redemption with Penny Dreadful) finds himself in the middle of a mob war. Second fiddles includes Stanley Tucci, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley and Bruce Willis.

Phantom of the Theater (2016)

Hong Kong update on the classic Phantom tale, but a bit bloodier and new sense of style. Set in the ‘30s, this update of Opera is a tale to behold.

DECEMBER 11

Breaking a Monster (2016)

Breaking A Monster begins as the three members of band UNLOCKING THE TRUTH are all in 7th grade, spending their weekends playing a blend of heavy metal and speed punk in Times Square – often drawing substantial crowds. They take on a manager: a 70- year-old industry veteran. With his guidance they are soon on their way to a 1.8 million dollar record deal and a precarious initiation into the music industry.”

DECEMBER 12

Ricardo O’Farrill: Christmas Special (Netflix original)

“Ricardo O’Farrill brings his sharp, observational humor to the stage with a relentless sarcasm and specific Mexican sensibility. Prepare for mockery.”

DECEMBER 13

Colony (Season 1)

“Executive producers Carlton Cuse (“Lost”) and Ryan Condal (“Hercules”) bring you Colony. Set in the very near future, Colony centers on one family’s struggle to survive an occupied Los Angeles. Josh Holloway (“Lost”) stars as Will Bowman and Sarah Wayne Callies (“The Walking Dead”) plays his wife, Katie.”

Killswitch (2016)

The story of the Internet and a look at those who are trying to sway it, either to limit its use or to free it from those to seek to control it. A docu about the online work and the dangers it faces.

I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016)

Supernatural thriller about an unstable teen on the hunt for a serial kills with unusual abilities.

Nobel (Season 1; Netflix original)

“…Two stories carefully intertwine as a returning soldier and family man becomes a pawn in a political international game. As the stakes grow higher he is forced to discover just how far one should go in the name of peace.”

DECEMBER 14

Versailles (Season 1)

Brit-Canadian-American series about the construction of the iconic French palace during the time of Louis XIV.

DECEMBER 16

Barry (Netflix original)

Vikram Gandhi’s drama about the years Barack Obama spent at Columbia University.

Call Me Francis (Season 1; Netflix original)

“A 4 part biographical miniseries that chronicles Pope Francis’ life, his controversial political leanings, his remarkable humanitarian work and his ascent to Papacy starring Rodrigo de la Serna, Mercedes Morán and Muriel Santa Ana.”

Crazyhead (Season 1; Netflix original)

“Bowling alley worker Amy and socially inept Raquel kick some serious demon butt while also facing their inner demons as they navigate their early 20s.”

No Second Chance (Season 1; Netflix original)

Rats (2016)

Morgan Spurlock’s doc covers the history of rat infestations in major cities throughout the world. 

The Adventures of Puss in Boots (Season 4; Netflix original)

“The world’s greatest feline fighter, lover and milk connoisseur takes on daring adventures in exotic locations in this family-friendly comedy series.”

DECEMBER 19

Miss Stevens (2016)

American Horror Story muse Lily Rabe plays a drama teacher who chaperones a trio of teens on their way to state drama finals in this indie comedy.

DECEMBER 20

Disorder (aka Maryland) (2015)

French home invasion thriller spotlighting a soldier with PTSD.

Gabriel Iglesias: Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry (Netflix original)

“He’s sold out concerts in over 24 countries and now he makes his Netflix debut. Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias delights a packed house in Chicago, IL.”

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Season 6)

Yeah. This again. If you are not a six-year-old little girl, you are a sicko.

Ten Percent  (Season 1; Netflix original)

Series that focuses on gay, lesbian, bi and transgender issues.

DECEMBER 23

Travelers  (Season 1; Netflix original)

“Hundreds of years from now, the last surviving humans discover the means of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century. These “travelers” assume the lives of seemingly random people, while secretly working as teams to perform missions in order to save humanity from a terrible future.”

Trollhunters  (Season 1; Netflix original)

“From master storyteller Guillermo del Toro, a fantastical new world wrapped around two best friends who make a startling discovery beneath their town.”

DECEMBER 25

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War (2016)

This Christmas, enjoy the gift that keeps on giving:  the 2013 Disney deal with Netflix. In the third chapter in the Captain America series, fans not only inch closer to the Infinity War storyline, but they also get Black Panther and the gift of Spider-Man as well. Merry Christmas, everyone!

When Hari Got Married (2013)

A taxi driver in an arranged marriage uses modern technology to get to know his bride-to-be.

DECEMBER 27

Ajin (Season 2; Netflix original)

“A teenager discovers that he is an Ajin and flees before the authorities experiment on him. Other Ajin plan to fight back and he must choose a side.”

Chasing Cameron (Season 1; Netflix original)

“Get an inside look at the life of social media sensation Cameron Dallas with this show that follows him as he takes his career to the next level.”

DECEMBER 28

Comedy Bang! Bang! (Season 5)

“Based on Scott Aukerman’s (co-creator/director/producer, Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis; writer/performer, Mr. Show) popular podcast of the same name, Comedy Bang! Bang! cleverly riffs on the well-known format of the late night talk show, infusing celebrity appearances and comedy sketches with a tinge of the surreal.”

DECEMBER 29

The Hollywood Shorties (2016)

The Hollywood Shorties is a documentary on the birth of organized sports in the American dwarf community.”

DECEMBER 30

The Eighties (Season 1)

“The CNN Original Series The Eighties explores this totally rad decade and its cultural, political, and technological impact on today.” (Blur is from CNN. I would never use “totally rad” in a sentence. Even as a joke.)

DECEMBER 31

Big in Bollywood (2011)

The story of how American actor Omi Vaidya rose to fame as a leading man on the silver screen in Indian cinema.

FOG! Chats With Samuel Sattin About His Pet-Friendly Post-Apocalyptic Graphic Novel, ‘Legend’

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Now available in paperback is Legend: Defend The Grounds, the first volume of writer Samuel Sattin and artist Chris Koehler‘s graphic novel series, Legend, published by Z2 Comics.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world after a biological terror agent wiped out most of humanity, Legend follows the domesticated animals who are left as they rebuild and rule the world.

Samuel took some time to discuss his background, his influences and Legend with Forces of Geek.

* * * * *

FOG!: Sam, it’s a pleasure to be talking to you. Tell us about your background. How did you get into comics? Writing novels?

Samuel Sattin: It’s wonderful to be talking to you as well. 

As a kid, I spent a lot of time writing fantasy stories inspired by Anne McCaffery’s Pern books, the Dragonlance Chronicles, and various role playing games. Basically, I lived inside my own head. I drew a lot of maps, tried to create languages, got heavy into D & D, and read tons of comics. I was X-Men, Superman, and Batman-obsessed, but I also came up during the Image and Dark Horse genesis, so I embraced the new wave.

In college, I got into literary fiction, and by the time I graduated, after some encouragement, started trying to write books…and promptly began failing spectacularly. It took years for me to really understand how to craft a story, and when I finally started to feel confident in my ability to do so, I discovered I not only wasn’t at the finish line, but had barely put one foot to the ground. School helped a lot.

I attended programs—one in Fiction at Mills College and another for Comics at California College of the Arts. Each allowed me opportunities to put my work up for critique. The Comics program especially opened entirely new horizons. I came to see the world through a different lens. And I’m still polishing that lens to this day.

Who are some of your influences?

The answer to this question changes for me. Some influences remain the same, but I’m always discovering new authors that alter the way I think about writing. The ones mentioned here came to mind currently. Some, such as Ursula K. LeGuin and Marjorie Liu, provide insight into how aspects of traditional sci fi/fantasy world building can be altered. The Left Hand of Darkness and Monstress are great examples of exploring how different definitions of genders, and animal species, can expand the horizons of what we think is possible.

I, of course, take a lot of inspiration from Richard Adams, Margaret Atwood, and Hayao Miyazaki as well, for the ways they speak to environmental concerns, and redefining aspects of modern spirituality. I also find weird crossover inspiration between Jeff Smith, the Coen Bros., and Emily Carol. And yes, I’m drawn by the stylized violence of Kurt Busiek, Cormac McCarthy, Park Chan-wook, Emily Carol, and Haruki Murakami. I love traditional horror as well, in the vein of Stephen King, and the writers who are expanding on its definition, like  Victor LaValle, Joe Hill, Paul Tremblay, and Junji Ito.

What are some of your guilty pleasures? Something you enjoy but know you probably shouldn’t?

I’m obscenely preoccupied with the Food Network…especially the Next Food Network Star and Worst Cooks in America. Bobby Flay is wonderful, and that Alton (Brown) is such a cad. I also love really bad horror movies. I love good ones, too, but bad ones are more fun.

Is there any comic book character that you’d like to write? Or any film or television universe you’d like to write for?

That’s a good question. I would love to write something in the Mike Mignola-created Hellboy universe. I’m a big fan of everything under that umbrella, and it just seems to keep expanding in intriguing directions. I would also love to work with some more horror properties, something in the Alien universe, maybe. And though it’s not a natural tie in from horror by any stretch of the imagination, I think Adventure Time would be a blast.

All that said, though, I’m more focused on creator owned material at this time. I like making up things, and want to continue doing so.

13680859_1159141817461554_1233543333936773007_nTell us about Legend and what inspired you to write it?

I love animal stories. I have for as long as I can remember. I read a lot of The Mouse and the Motorcycle series as a kid, yes, but I think my preoccupation can be more directly traced back to Animal Farm. That book made a huge impression on me.

I definitely didn’t understand what the hell it was about  when I read it at age eleven, but it stuck with me for years. I think I know why that is now…allegory is something I’m drawn to, and Animal Farm has the best of it.

Animal stories in particular are really good at integrating allegory: as characters, animals bring along the traits and symbols ascribed to them by people, and then are put into new contexts to convey larger themes. I wanted to see how I could contribute to that tradition. Particularly when filtered through a post-apocalyptic lens, which opens up entirely new possibilities.

The art in Legend is very striking. How is it to work with artist Chris Koehler? How did the two of you come together to work on this?

Working with Chris is an amazing experience. He’s a unique, talented artist, and has a process unlike any I’ve encountered. He’s also color blind, which makes for a lot of really dazzling colors that play tricks on the eye.

Also, collaborating with him is really fun, not just because we often work to the backdrop of horror movies, pressing play simultaneously and commenting throughout during crunch time, but also because together we end up creating something unexpected.

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Chris was actually my illustration techniques professor during my Masters program at California College of the Arts. We hit it off, and soon after I graduated, we were sitting down to talk comic pitches. We threw a lot of ideas back and forth, but Legend was the one that grew legs. And now we’re walking!

Finally, what other work do you have upcoming that you’d like to tell us about?

I’m working on a few new projects…a novel, a serialized novel, a YA graphic novel, and of course, more Legend! One thing I also think might be interesting is a novelistic offshoot of Legend (illustrated by Chris). Though time will tell.

Thank you for talking with us Sam!

Thank you for having me!

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Legend Volume One: Defend The Grounds is available now.

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